When he grows up, 6-year old Walker Greentree wants to be a SEAL—a member of the special forces of the United States Navy. While he was playing with a friend, his mother scolded him for being noisy and told him to be “quiet like a SEAL.” Walker’s friend insisted that ninjas are quieter than SEALs—a proposition that Walker heartily disputed.

In order to resolve their argument, Walker wrote to Admiral William H. McRaven, the commanding officer of the U.S. Special Operations Command. Who is quieter, Walker asked, ninjas or SEALs?

Admiral McRaven wrote back to Walker. Showing his diplomatic abilities, the Admiral graciously praised the skills of ninjas:

To answer your questions: I think ninjas are probably quieter than SEALs, but we are better swimmers, and also better with guns and blowing things up. I can hold my breath for a long time, but I try not to unless I really have to.